CH 45

Elves located in Lough Valley had always been long-term residents and friendly to dragons, the valley territory was vast, and then accommodating these dragons wasn’t a problem.

Ning Chu recovered from his surprise, “So what do you… plan to do?”

He didn’t have the opportunity to contact other races before, and completely didn’t expect the elves to be so friendly to the dragons, and actually have the same purpose with them, wanting to save the dragons from the Church.

Ximan pondered for a moment, “There are too many of them, I definitely can’t do it alone. I have to go back to report to the elders first, and then bring my fellow clansmen here.”

Ning Chu asked, “You’re not afraid that your elders will not agree?”

Ximan was very confident and said with certainty, “No, my people will never refuse to help these dragons…”

Wuuth coldly interrupted him, “We don’t need your help.”

Ximan choked for a moment, retorting Wuuth, “What does it matter to you?”

He had noticed that Wuuth, who was with Ning Chu, had dark element, which was one of the most hated magical elements among elves, and he was surprised at first when he identified Ning Chu as one of his own kind, thinking how an elf could stay with someone with dark magic.

Wuuth’s face became even more sullen, and the sharp black blade once again came up against Ximan’s neck, a little further and it would have pierced his skin and cut through his arteries. Ximan was even quicker than the last time, he stepped back quickly, a bow and arrow made of branches appeared in his hand. He was also a bit upset at this time, “You’re not with those humans, right? Why do you want to stop me from saving the dragons?”

He originally mistook Ning Chu for the same clan, and only when he saw the two today did he take the initiative to follow them, looking for an opportunity to talk and ask Ning Chu which clan he belonged to. Although he later found out that it was a misunderstanding, he felt that he saw Ning Chu as a kindred spirit, so he was willing to say so much.

If Ning Chu and Wuuth had stopped him or had any other bad intentions, he wouldn’t have shown any mercy.

Ning Chu hurriedly pulled down Wuuth’s hand and explained to Ximan, “You have misunderstood.” He leaned close to Wuuth’s ear and lowered his voice, “We can work with them.”

Wuuth didn’t understand what Ning Chu said about cooperation, he hesitated to put away his magic and whispered like Ning Chu, “How do we cooperate?”

Ximan’s attitude towards the dragons was also unexpected to Wuuth, but he thought that he and the dragons could take care of the Church people by himself, and didn’t need the help of the elves.

Ning Chu, on the other hand, thought that after saving the dragons, so many of them couldn’t be taken away, but only placed back into the original woods, or lead them to find a new place to live. If the elves were really willing to settle the dragons with them, as Ximan said, even if only temporarily, it would be a good choice.

Ning Chu was also considering another aspect. He recalled the dwarves in the mines and their mutually beneficial relationship with the dragons. He wondered if there was anything the dragons could do to help in Lough Valley, like watering and fertilizing the trees or something, and if there were also mines to be mined, that would be even better.

As a race that befriended the dragons, he could set a friendly price for the payment. However, this was only Ning Chu’s vision. If he really wanted to take the dragons to the land of the elves, Wuuth and a few other dragon cubs couldn’t be hidden, and he must first ensure absolute safety.

Seeing Wuuth put away his magic, Ximan also put down his bow and arrow, and waited patiently for the two to talk while observing the Church and the dragon herd on the opposite side. He was relieved that Wuuth, who was gifted with the dark element, was submissive in front of Ning Chu, which made Ximan feel better.

After listening to Ning Chu’s explanation, Wuuth was silent for a moment, “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

He trusted Ning Chu’s judgment, and with the power of three adult magic dragons, plus him, there was no need to fear the elves.

Ning Chu also quietly asked the Second Cub in his jacket, who listened with his round eyes and nodded gently. He didn’t forget to tell Wuuth, [Remember to tell them to swear to the contract gods, not to reveal even half of the information of the dragon race.]

This was something Second Cub had done once before, even if it was a verbal contract, it could also be effective under the witness of the contract god, and could be more comfortable.

After the two dragons finished discussing, Ning Chu turned to Ximan and said, “Actually, we were going to save the dragons too.”

Ximan’s eyes widened, “You? You want to save the dragons too?”

He was under the impression that humans weren’t supposed to like dragons.

“Yes,” As a sign of sincerity and because of Ximan’s voluntary honesty, Ning Chu took off his mask, “We need your help.”

He revealed a delicate and beautiful face, with a pair of teal pupils, Ximan’s eyes lit up, “Are you really not an elf? Is it possible you’re a hybrid…”

The look and gaze that Ximan cast on Ning Chu made Wuuth very unhappy, his tone was cold and hard, “He is not.”

If he wanted to call Ning Chu a race other than human, it could only be a dragon.

Ximan didn’t bother with him and looked at Ning Chu, “What did you mean when you said you needed help?”

Ning Chu looked apologetic, “Considering some special circumstances, before telling you, I need you to swear an oath to the contract god.” He paused and added, “Of course, we will also swear that we will never be enemies of the elves unless you attack first.”

Ximan needed to swear two things: not to reveal anything related to the dragons to other races, and to tell his race that they must also swear first.

This requirement made Ximan both puzzled and curious, and he didn’t think and hesitate for long, and swore to the contract god as Ning Chu said. A contract seal passed under his feet in an instant, signifying that the oath was in effect and witnessed by the contract god.

On Ning Chu’s side, it was Wuuth who took the oath, and when both parties were done, Ximan leapt to his feet, “Okay, what is it that I need to keep secret?”

Then he saw a small yellowish-brown dragon cub emerge from Ning Chu’s broad coat.

With time running out, Ning Chu didn’t have much to explain to Ximan. He had already seen Second Cub and wanted to tell his kin when he got back. The kin also had to swear an oath first, and when they rescued the dragons and sent them to Lough Valley, the effect would be the same.

Ximan was interested in Second Cub. He had heard of magic dragons, they were the most powerful and fierce magical beasts on this continent, but didn’t know that the juvenile magic dragons were… so cute. He stared at Second Cub’s neck hair fluttering in the wind, and was tempted to reach out and touch it, but eventually held back.

“The dragon herd, please leave them to us,” Ning Chu said, “Go back to your clan first and ask their advice.”

When he and Wuuth had settled the Church, they would take the dragons directly to Lough Valley and then see if they could leave them behind.

Ximan was still a little worried, “Just the two of you? Plus this little dragon cub?”

The little dragon cub was belittled and spewed out a mouthful of wind in anger, rolling Ximan around several times in place.

“Okay, you guys be safe,” Ximan braced his dizzy head and left Ning Chu the direction and location of the Lough Valley, “I’ll meet you at the mouth of the valley.”

He re-masked and left, leaving Ning Chu and Wuuth behind, along with Second Cub who crouched obediently under Ning Chu’s gaze. In the distance, all the cages were loaded onto the transport truck, counted and ready to go. The leader of the group looked around to make sure there was nothing unusual and let the transport start.

The iron cages were locked with the dragons inside, the transport couldn’t use the magic beasts to pull the load, so it needed someone to take turns to use magic energy to drive the transport cart forward. The direction they went was outside the city, Ning Chu and Wuuth followed close behind to keep the right distance and waited patiently.

The transports soon left through the back gate of the city and made their way to a remote forest road. Several vehicles slowed down, with people guarding on all sides, holding their magic wands tightly as they surveyed the surroundings warily.

Last night someone invaded the woods to destroy the magic formation, and in the end failed to catch the person. They must be more cautious today, not allowing an accident. The surrounding area was very quiet, the transport truck traveled halfway, and a figure suddenly appeared in front. He was dressed in black, with a mask on his face, no weapons in his hands, and no contracted beasts around him.

The Church group was immediately alerted and stopped the transport.

Someone spoke up, “Who are you? I advise you to leave before you get in the way.”

The figure didn’t move, so the Church’s leader of the operation elders came forward, measuring him with narrowed eyes, “Last night was also you? Why are you alone, so insolent?”

Wuuth said coldly, “It was me.”

He didn’t come alone.

A dragon roar sounded from behind, and the Church elder’s face changed and he turned around subconsciously. A fierce wind whipped his robe, and the dragon descended from the sky, his dark eyes filled with rage.

Ning Chu sat on the back of Second Cub’s neck, gripping the neck hair to stabilize his body, “Destroy the iron cages and release the dragons.”

At the same time, before the Church team could regain their attention, Wuuth also moved. Dark magic easily strangled several people in front of him, before he came to the Church elder, “Last night it was you who injured him?”

The Church elder’s eyes were shocked, “Who are you?”

Last night’s two people fled in haste, he didn’t take it too seriously, there were very few people who had the courage to oppose the Church. But the sudden appearance of the magic dragon disrupted all his plans.

Wuuth whispered, “You’re not qualified to know.”

The dragon in the air was huge but agile, and it was extremely difficult to hit with their attacking magic. Second Cub dodged the attack while flying and blew through with a mouthful of hurricane wind. The black cloth covered by the iron cage was blown away long ago, and the dragons inside were all very excited when they saw the dragon appear.

Nearby were woods, so Ning Chu couldn’t use fire magic, and only used wood and thunder magic, and used vines and branches to bind the people underneath, and then inject thunder magic into it. A large number of people soon fell behind, and Second Cub took the opportunity to fly down and bend the cage with his claws, and the dragon inside escaped through the twisted gap.

“Roar!” Second Cub told the dragons to follow the command and not to leave.

They hadn’t eaten for a long time and were all exhausted. Second Cub didn’t let them engage in battle, but went to wait in the woods not far away.

On Wuuth’s side, the Church elder was surrounded by several helpers, and while Wuuth’s strength wasn’t weak, he actually failed to kill the elder. Wuuth was now in human form, his power and movement was limited. He gradually became impatient and his body shape began to change.

It was the time of day where the sun was clearly the strongest, but, now, the sun seemed to be blocked. The refreshing coolness gradually spread with the shadows beneath their feet, causing fear to sprout.

When the second dragon appeared, almost everyone stopped. There was no point in struggling, and it was too late to escape, only death awaited them. They didn’t even have time to think about which one of the magic dragons this dragon was.

The few people closest to the black dragon were even shivering and fell to their knees. With an expression of fear and madness on his face, the Church elder squeezed a few words out of his teeth, “You are a… dragon.”

After Ning Chu and Second Cub rescued the last dragon and finished the surrounding area, they saw the black dragon swinging its front claws and the Church elder was slapped away, smashing into the trunk of a tree and spitting out blood, losing his breath.

Ning Chu got down from Second Cub, looked up at the dragon and couldn’t help but hold his breath. This was the first time he saw Wuuth in his adult form.

The dragon’s body was pitch black, and his body size was two or three times bigger than Second Cub’s. Ning Chu’s two hands couldn’t wrap around his thick horns, and his dark red pupils were slightly drooping, reflecting Ning Chu’s silhouette.

At the moment of meeting the dragon’s eyes, Ning Chu didn’t know if it was an illusion, but his gaze seemed to become softer and more docile, as if he wasn’t the one who was angry and killed humans just now. He slowly lowered his head and approached Ning Chu, who was walking towards him.

Looking at the behemoth in front of him, Ning Chu’s heart beat a little faster. He took a few deep breaths, reached out his right hand and gently touched the scales on the dragon’s muzzle. Warm, a little rough to the touch… 

In the next instant, the dragon disappeared in place and changed back to his human form.

Ning Chu’s hand happened to be placed on the side of Wuuth’s face, he froze for a moment and swiftly retracted.

The author has something to say: 

It was his dragon snout that was touched! He did not touch the other ‘dragon!’1